What They Say:
Gathering Forces – Kanan and Ezra try to protect an Imperial deserter by distracting the Imperial forces, but it results in a confrontation.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Star Wars Rebels hasn’t hit its stride yet, but it started to show a little bit of it previously with the Empire Day episode as we got a little more of Ezra’s past. We’ve also started to get a little more serious about having Kanan instruct Ezra and a general, if light, fleshing out of some of the characters along the way so we have a good idea of who they are. They all likely still have their secrets to be revealed, but part of what’s starting to become apparent is that after having The Clone Wars series that could use a wide range of characters across all sorts of levels of power, going to a smaller group running along the fringes of Lothal is definitely a bit of a shock overall. When the teases we get to some of the elements from that show make their way into this series, that’s when it gets more interesting.
This episode follows up well from the Empire Day episode as the Ghost is on the run with a lot of Imperial’s chasing them as they have Tseebo on board. It’s a complicated moment for Ezra as he knows that Tseebo could have done something to help save his parents but didn’t do it. Running all that amid the greater action sequences with some nice cues to the original trilogy certainly gives it a welcome feeling though. The escape goes pretty well in the end, but not without a bigger problem tagging them as the Inquisitor has managed to land a tracker on them. They may play the cues a little too close sometimes, but when we see him on board the Star Destroyer, the echoes of Vader is pretty good. Thanks to Tseebo though, they learn that they’ve been tagged and can deal with it. Unfortunately, Kanan’s plan is to have him and Ezra take the Phantom, which was the part that was tagged, and go their own way for a bit as they try to lead the Inquisitor away as they’re being Force-tracked as well.
Taking us back to the base where Hera and Sabine encountered the creatures in the darkness is an interesting turn, especially since Kanan bills it as a proper learning experience for Ezra as he seems to work best by learning in this kind of manner. They get some time to plan before the Inquisitor arrives, along with a good squad of Stormtroopers as well – Stormtroopers with flashlights! The initial fight is simple, though it’s fun that they use the creatures there to help them, but we get another piece of the fight between Kanan and the Inquisitor, showing the two of them going at it in full with a little dirty playing mixed into it to give it an edge.
The Inquisitor definitely well portrayed here, even if he gloats a bit too much, as he tries to draw Ezra to his side in what almost feels like a lark, just to toy with Ezra. What we do see though is a good unleashing of part of Ezra’s power, which panics Kanan and even the Inquisitor since there’s a kind of anger and fear coming from him that he has to learn to control and master in the time to come. While it’s good to see this side explored a bit for Ezra, it’s also very, very good to see a caring side coming from Kanan as he takes care of him after things go south and he realizes what it is that Ezra did. Kanan’s been training him to be sure, but he’s not followed through on enough of what he has to do to truly prepare him.
In Summary:
While I’ve been enjoying the series in a kind of basic way in getting to know something a little different in the pre-Episode IV timeline, it hasn’t really engaged me. That’s starting to change here a bit as we’re now starting to get to know the characters more. Ezra’s past is the focus of this and the prior episode as there are greater things at work there which will likely take time to reveal. The relationship between Kanan and Ezra is one of the bigger selling points here and there’s a lot of potential to work with, especially with how we see Kanan after Ezra passes out as it’s the first time I feel like we’ve had a true and honest moment from the character, to see the real him. There’s a few minor things going on throughout here as well, with what’s going on with Tseebo and what Sabine does as well as what Hera may know, but it’s mostly about Ezra and Kanan with a good dash of the Inquisitor thrown in. With some good space battles mixed in to keep it moving, this is a pretty good episode that has me hopeful that it’ll find its groove more as it goes on.
Grade: B+
